Big Prizes Still Unclaimed in the UK, Lottery Players Urged to Check Tickets
Updated: Thursday 30th October 2025
If you don’t keep your lottery ticket safe, it’s easy to lose it in the back pocket of your summer shorts, down the inside of your sofa, or at the bottom of your second best bag. This seems to be happening a lot this year, as several winners have neglected to claim cash prizes won in various lotteries, many of which are life changing sums
Unclaimed Lottery Winnings? Surely Not!
It’s true. Millions of National Lottery pounds go unclaimed every year due to winners not realising they have won. This can be due to unopened emails, unchecked pockets, or simple forgetfulness. This is evidenced by 2025, because there are millions of pounds still to claim from winners who don’t even seem to know they’ve won. According to news sources, current unclaimed National Lottery prizes include:
- Lotto: A £1 million prize awaits from a draw that took place on May 24th 2025. The numbers of the draw were 9, 12, 13, 26, 38, 40, and a Bonus 4. The winner has until November 20 to claim this prize.
- EuroMillions: A £1 Million cash prize awaits a winning ticket holder from August 15th. We know that the winning ticket was bought in Birmingham but not much else. The ticket holder has until February 11th 2026 to claim this prize.
- Lotto: A ticket holder won £10,633,323 in the October 4 Lotto draw — damn. The numbers for this draw were 6, 8, 12, 33, 49, 59 and a Bonus 42, and the winner has not come forward. Bought in the London Borough of Bexley, they have until April 2, 2026 to claim it.
- Set For Life: Most recently, a Set For Life prize worth $10k a month has also gone unclaimed, prompting ticket holders to check Set For Life tickets sold on October 16th. The winning ticket was sold in west Dorset, with the lucky albeit seemingly clueless lottery winner matching five main numbers. The numbers were 1, 8, 12, 27, 46 and the Life Ball was 2. The winner has until 14 April 2026 to make their claim.
Whether you’re reading this because you’re invested in the lottery industry, or you’re looking for what to do if you have an unchecked lottery ticket, this is your chance to secure your winnings. Get in touch with the lottery office before time runs out!
How Can You Claim Lottery Prizes?
If you have an unclaimed lottery prize, you can claim it in a couple of ways depending on the prize amount:
- Prizes £500 or under: You can make your claim through a National Lottery retailer. This means going to an authorised store or outlet where you can buy lottery tickets including supermarkets, petrol stations, and newsagents.
- Prizes over £500 and up to £50,000: You can claim prizes in this tier online.
- Prizes over £50,000: This prize level or monthly prize winnings like Set for Life (calling a certain aforementioned winner here) can be claimed by calling the National Lottery.
Lost or Damaged Tickets
If you have lost, damaged, or destroyed your ticket, you still may be able to make a valid claim. Simply call the National Lottery Customer Service and explain your situation. You will need to provide as much information as possible about the ticket including game type, date of the draw, where and when you purchased the ticket, and what numbers you played.
Camelot — the company that runs the National Lottery in the UK — may ask you for more details about your claim. This could include a proof of purchase, bank statement, or signed statement describing your situation.
What Happens to Unclaimed Lottery Prizes?
After a draw takes place, winners have 180 days (six months) to claim their prize. After this time period has passed, the prize and any interest earned on it becomes unavailable. The cash will instead be used to fund and benefit National Lottery Projects across the UK, including:
- Arts & culture institutions like theatre groups, museums, and community arts programmes.
- Sports facilities and community sport initiatives.
- Heritage and local history projects.
- Environment and education‑related work.
- Voluntary and community sector work: charities, local services, support groups.
Check Your Lottery Tickets Today
You can check the results of any UK Lottery with our Results Checker. To use it, you’ll need your ticket or at least to remember your numbers. Simply click on the numbers you picked for any draw and If you have won a prize, the page will tell you.
Remember, this isn’t proof that you’ve won. You will still need to present your signed ticket and photo ID to the lottery vendor or to lottery officials depending on how much you win.
Published: Thursday 30th October 2025Lottery News News Archive